Sneak preview of the Gothenburg table, before the Luxembourg Culinary World Cup 2010

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Team leader and Cheryl, the finer details of Chocolate sculpture and desserts

Gothenburg Culinary Team Leader, Johan, pointing out the finer details of the chocolate sculpture and desserts.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

In preparation of the upcoming Culinary World Cup held in Luxembourg in November 2010, the Gothenburg Culinary Team was doing a ‘dry run’ of the competition dishes. As luck would have it I was invited to take a sneak preview of their efforts if I could make it to Uddevalla, just north of Gothenburg, Sweden and of course I’d love to.

Meeting with the whole team.

Meeting with the whole team.

At this point in time, the team is already in the later stages in their preparation for the international competition and had set up a complete display table that resembled the one to be judged in Luxembourg. This entire exhibition was a team exercise that acted as a show-case plus brainstorm session for the team members, showing in detail how things right now would look like when put together.

Even if their food display already looked thoroughly breathtaking and appetizing, the fact was that all dishes would still be improved upon before the final design that would go into the competition was set.

This event was rather nondescript for their efforts, a showing mainly for themselves, friends and colleagues. It was hysterical to observe that all visitors to the display table were frustrated that entire set meals, plus breads and desserts were strictly for display only. There would be no touching, no tasting, no licking, no eating of any crumb on the table as the crumbs would most likely be part of the dish display and most carefully placed where they should be.
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Fika and the Swedish Management style

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Cinnamon roll served with milk; kaanelbullar med mjölk

The Cinnamon Roll – a Swedish fika staple.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

Before Sweden, I only ever heard of the British inherited concept of afternoon Tea in Singapore from my grandparents, more specifically, my paternal grandmother. She often served Royal Danish butter cookies, of which I favoured the ones with raisins and those that came coated with granulated sugar on top. Light sponge cakes were sometimes served at these sessions, and accompanying these cookies and cakes was tea, with lots of milk.

Melting butter for cinnamon rolls or kanelbullar.

Melting the butter – the first step in making Cinnamon Rolls.

The Swedish fika, which translates to ‘coffee break’ was an activity whose local ritualistic implications dawned on me only gradually, beginning actually with my attendance at late evening seminars at the university whilst pursuing my doctorate degree.
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An evening with the Gothenburg Culinary Team West of Sweden

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro at Trubaduren with the Gothenburg Culinary Team, 2010.

At dinner, presented by the Gothenburg Culinary Team at the restaurant Trubaduren, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

With the upcoming Culinary World Cup in November 2010, in Luxembourg in mind the Gothenburg Culinary Team invited friends and members of two culinary interest groups to a three course dinner event during this last weekend.

Mingle session, Cheryl Marie Cordeiro and Manager of the Gothenburg Culinary Team, Ronny Spetz.

Ronny Spetz, Team Manager, welcoming guests to the mingle session.

The atmosphere at the mingle session was as usual relaxed and friendly. The autumn air outside with its light drizzle coupled with a chilled white Champagne prior to dinner heightened our expectations of an upcoming display of culinary artistry.

Members of the Swedish Chefs Association, and members of the Western Swedish Academy of Gastronomy, Trubaduren, Gothenburg.

Mingle session before dinner

It was during the mingle session prior to dinner that guests got to meet two managers of the Gothenburg Culinary Team, various board members of their own mother organization that is the Western Swedish Chefs Association (SKF), and members and friends of the Western Swedish Academy of Gastronomy (VGAK). The discussions bounced lightheartedly and passionately between topics about what’s current and coming in the culinary world, and not the least what was to be served for dinner that evening.
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FENDI Zucca, jacquard hobo in monogram brown

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Fendi Zucca Chef shoulder bag.

The Fendi Zucca Chef bag.
Photo © C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

For anyone looking for a convenient grab bag, one that is roomy and can take the wear and tear of everyday use, I would like to recommend the Fendi Zucca Chef. This nifty bag is one of the few hobo bags that has caught my attention lately with its softer, more rounded shape than my regular choice of LV’s.

Fendi Zucca Chef bag, zipper tag.
Fendi Zucca Chef bag, pleats.

Despite what I thought it looking rather small when it sat on the shelves, the good point with its soft and flexible walls is that it can indeed accommodate quite a few irregular shaped objects such as an SLR camera, wallet, notepad, the latest Stieg Larsson, a foldable umbrella and more, we might find indispensable any certain day.
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Swedish west coast autumn plums and crab fishing

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Early autumn, we had the pleasure to see as our guests, a group of Singaporean students, who were out to explore our nook of the western Swedish archipelago. Some were to stay in Gothenburg within their exchange program, some were to leave for their stay in Italy.

The group met for lunch, after which we all went out in the garden to have our dessert straight from our trees and bushes. Autumn is the ideal harvest time for most fruits and berries in Sweden and pleasantly enough, we had plenty to offer of red currants and plums. The plums, being big, sweet and juicy, turned out to be something of a favourite!

Red currant picking, Swedish west coast.

Before taking a walk to the beach, some red currant picking in the garden and eaten straight from a branch without being packaged and wrapped in plastic first. A nice alternative to city-living.
Photo © Ryan Chung, J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

Plum picking, Swedish west coast.

Plum picking and enjoying the harvest.

Matt with plums, Cheryl and Ryan in background.

Matt with a handful (or two) of plum picks.

plums

Plums.

Crab fishing, Swedish west coast.

Learning to crab fish.

Near our place is a neat and well protected bathing beach with a solid, rocky pier to break the waves. This beachside haven creates a shelter for small children and accompanying adults, who prefer warm and shallow to deep and cold water.

Along this pier is a favourite crab fish spot for both children and grown-ups alike. All it takes is a string and an opened clam in the end of the string, and most any crab will climb on board and refusing to let go, will follow the string up. Usually the “catch” is just toppled back into the sea at the end of the day since the crabs are considered too small for eating anyway. Somehow it appears as if there’s developed an established agreement on how to run this show. The crabs get to eat ready opened clams, and in return they agree on being lifted in and out of the water during the day by small children. All parties seem to be ok with this arrangement.
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In the office with Cat, Dolce&Gabbana and Vivienne Westwood

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro in Vivienne Westwood dress, Dolce & Gabbana skirt, Roberto Cavalli heels, Tod's grained leather bag.

Our Norwegian Forest Cat walks in to say hello! (Where’s my food?)
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

Dress codes for the office varies from culture to culture and even from organization to organization. Just about forty years ago in Singapore, women were not allowed to wear pants or slacks to the office, the garments being deemed as too masculine and too unladylike. But the strict rule for ‘skirts only’ to the office for women in Singapore was relaxed around the 1970s and women were allowed to wear pants to work, on Fridays. It was from here that the concept of ‘dress-down Friday’ came about in Singapore, where for women at least, they could skip the skirts and opt for slacks that gave them greater freedom of movement.

In Sweden too dress codes vary between organizations. In some academic circles the codes are almost comically lax, where the higher echelons are so entirely focused on the minds of individuals that one can almost expect that the more bizarre a person dresses, the more unique and valuable their expertise. In the corporate world, values are fairly measured compared to academic circles, and people tend to dress in reflection of their position and work demands, steering towards what fits the occasion.

The myth that a Swedish CEO would arrive to a business meeting in t-shirt, clogs and jeans, is generally an exaggeration. For most of the time, it’s pretty much ‘do as you like’, as long as it is ‘lagom’. However any ‘dress-down Friday’, I have yet to see and my Friday last was anything but.

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro in Vivienne Westwood, Dolce & Gabbana. Norwegian Forest Cat.

Before stepping out the door with Cat.

One of my current favourite outfits is a Vivienne Westwood asymmetrical dress, gathered at the side seams and falling to the knees, a Dolce & Gabanna tulip skirt (over the bottom of the Westwood dress) and Roberto Cavalli black patent stiletto heels. A large Tod’s shoulder bag in cream calf grained leather is useful for files and laptop alike. A simple pair of pearl and diamond earrings to complement this outfit.
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A caseinic tour of Europe

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hard_italian

An Italian hard cheese that is washed in Recioto, perfect with Acacia honey or caramelized almonds. Tried just for fun with a drop of Port.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

It was only in Sweden that I came to realize that cheese and coffee were more synonymous with dessert than a slice of chocolate cake or a scoop of ice-cream.

On the plate above is an Italian hard cheese whose rind was washed in a sweet Italian red wine Recioto della Valpolicella that is a variation to the rich dry red wine of Amarone della Valpolicella.

Pié d' Angloys French rind washed soft cheese.

Pié d’ Angloys, an award winning French rind washed soft cheese that has a rich, creamy texture that is a variation to the taste of brie.

Rind washed cheeses are typically bathed in a wash of salted water, wine, brandy or local spirits, according to the traditions of each region. Besides adding a distinct and local flavour to the cheese the washing process helps to soften the rind and encourage this to become a part of the cheese rather than just a skin.

The washing also helps cheeses to retain its moisture. Through this process, the cheese becomes soft, thick and brilliant and sometimes showing some coloring from the wine. Washed rind cheeses typically present a paradox, in that their colorful, often pungent rinds contrast with beautifully smooth and creamy interior.
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Cherry Chocolate ice-cream with Cherry Heering

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Cherry Chocolate ice-cream with Cherry Heering

Cherry Heering flavoured Cherry Chocolate ice-cream served with a few drops of Kirsberry and one of our own dark cherries, straight form the tree.
Photo © J E Nilsson for CMC 2010

Having concentrated all my efforts on work during the week, come weekend, all I like to do is indulge in some food fantasies turned reality. This weekend’s indulgence project is homemade cherry chocolate ice-cream with skuggmoreller cherries from our garden and a touch of Cherry Heering.

Cherry Heering is a Danish cherry liqueur invented in the late 1700s or the early 1800s. What I appreciate about this liqueur is its rich flavour of black cherries that pours out in a luscious deep red colour into the glass. It isn’t overly sweet, so you can go ahead and add sugar to the ice-cream base when making this cherry chocolate ice-cream at home.

When last we visited one of the Swedish System Bolaget wine and spirits liquor stores it appeared as if Cherry Heering, which also happens to be a key ingredient in the Singapore Sling, will no longer be available in Sweden!

I believe for ice-cream purposes, most anything with a good dark cherry flavour could be used as a substitute. There is another Danish classic desert wine called Kirsberry that I’m pouring a few drops of, over the ice cream in the picture above, that might do just fine. In that case however I am more concerned about our Singapore Slings.
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A Swedish late summer BBQ

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singlepit

Swedish west coast late summer BBQ. Kebabs on the grill, cubes of marinated meat with cut up vegetables on skewers.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

For as long as I can remember, my life has been punctuated with barbeque events as something to look forward to and a weekend thing to do in Singapore. Needless to say, it’s one of those events that I so desperately miss when not in Singapore, especially the East Coast beachside barbeque where friends and family would toss on the grill, a variety of marinated meats and seafood.

In Singapore, barbeques are most often causal events with everyone in standard shorts and tees or alternatively, swimwear and wrapped around beach towels. Paper plates, plastic cups, and plastic forks and knives (if we even bothered using these and not eat with our fingers instead!) are the norm at these events. And of course, paper towels to clean up.

Then in most of my Singaporean experience, there’s always the general chaos of who’s mending the grill pits. In my family, it was more or less ‘to each their own’, so like the steamboat around the table, you look after whatever you’ve put on the grill yourself and there isn’t one grill master to see that things don’t burn. And things eventually always end up burnt, but we’ve all come to expect this and it would hardly be a heartwarming barbeque event without charred food. In fact, it was only when I arrived in Sweden that I realized that barbequed food is not synonymous with burnt food, but there were techniques to apply that would render succulently grilled meats served to the table.

Satay making, Sweden.

Amused in the midst of chit-chat, making Singaporean style satay sticks to go with the warmed and waiting peanut sauce.

The Swedish barbeque is casual by Swedish norms but compared to Singapore, it would come across as slightly more formal, with proper designated seating places for everyone, and the use of porcelain plates, with proper glasses and coffee mugs. Serving the grilled food with red or white wine is not uncommon and there’s generally less movement of people between the grill pits and the dining table. There’s indeed a grill master, and no chaos whatsoever.
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The pleasures of autumn harvest

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cherry_branch

English Morello Cherries is a fantastic cherry for pie making and cooking. This dark red to nearly black fruit can be used when making liqueurs and brandies, and its tart, dark juice lends itself to be made into a most fantastic syrup!
Photo: JE Nilsson for CMC © 2010

Admittedly early August can’t really be called autumn, not even in Sweden, in northern Europe. But still, at this time of the year it is harvest time and all nice things come in such abundances it is difficult to find ways of taking care of it all.

A cherry tree in the garden offered an easy enough target for our efforts and for the first time in many years, the berries made it all the way into the kitchen without being all eaten by the pickers straight from the branches.

Making home made syrup was highest on the wishing list about these strong flavored cherries whose name is skuggmoreller in Swedish.
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